Abstract: An aircraft structure comprising; a rear spar, an upper cover which is attached to the rear spar and overhangs to its rear; a lower cover which is attached to the rear spar and overhangs to its rear, a hinge rib assembly comprising: a first hinge rib arm attached to a first one of the covers; and a second hinge rib arm connected to the first hinge rib arm and attached to a second one of the covers; and an aerodynamic control element pivotally mounted to the hinge rib assembly. The first and second hinge rib arms are separate parts. This provides the ability to disassemble the hinge rib in-situ for repair or maintenance purposes; the ability to install or remove the hinge rib without having to move it inboard along the structure; reduced material wastage during manufacture; and the ability to install one or more elongate lines which extend in a span-wise direction along the aircraft structure.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fuselage structure (1; 1?) of an aircraft comprising an annular skin segment (2; 2?) which has a cross-sectional opening (3; 3?), a pressure cap (4; 4?) for a pressure-tight closure of the cross-sectional opening (3; 3?), and a plurality of tension struts (7, 8, 9; 7?, 8?, 9?) which in each case connect the pressure cap (4; 4?) to the annular skin segment (2; 2?) and absorb loads acting on the pressure cap (4; 4?), as tensile loads. This advantageously means that the tension struts (7, 8, 9; 7?, 8?, 9?) do not have to absorb substantially any bending moments. Consequently, the tension struts can be produced with a relatively small cross section, which entails a reduction in weight. Furthermore, it is possible to produce and mount tension struts (7, 8, 9; 7?, 8?, 9?) of this type in a simple manner.

Abstract: Systems to provide distributed flow control actuation to manage the behavior of a global flow field, are provided. An example of a system can include an aerodynamic structure having an outer surface, and an array of a plurality of nano-scale effectors connected to the outer surface of the aerodynamic structure to be in fluid contact with a flowing fluid when operationally flowing, to induce controlled, globally distributed disturbances at a viscous wall sublayer of a turbulent boundary layer of the flowing fluid when operationally flowing and to manipulate fluid behavior of the flowing fluid to thereby substantially reduce pressure loss associated with incipient separation of the fluid flow from portions of the aerodynamic structure.

Abstract: The sleeper seats are shown in sleeping mode. Each comprises a head rest, a back rest, a seat pan or seat cushion and a leg rest, all of which move in a conventional manner when the seat is moved from sleeping mode to sitting mode. The seats also include ottomans. Further they have inter-seat dividers between the individual seats within the their column. The six seats are arranged in a chevron formation or array and two columns. All the seats in each column are parallel with each other and have central axes A set at a “herringbone” angle ? to the column direction and in particular to a longitudinal axis 10 of the array.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device and method of assisting the piloting of a rotorcraft, the rotorcraft having a flight control (10) for controlling a rotor (20, 21) via at least one linkage (35), during which method an additional force is generated by at least one piloting assistance means (100) mechanically linked to the linkage (35), the additional force being a function of the position of the flight control (10) and of an instantaneous force as measured on the linkage (35).

Abstract: The disclosure provides in one embodiment a wing tip device for a wing of an air vehicle. The device comprises a tip tail element, a boom element attaching the tip tail element to a wing tip, a hinge element connecting the tip tail element to the boom element, and an actuator element connected to the hinge element. One or more wing load sensors sense wing loads, and a flight control system controls the actuator element. A load alleviation method and system for an air vehicle are also provided.

Abstract: A nacelle includes a central structure intended to surround a fan of a turbojet engine and an air intake structure attached to the central structure and able to channel a flow of air toward the fan. The nacelle includes at least one longitudinal outer panel incorporating an air intake lip. An inner panel includes an acoustic shell ring which downstream end is attached to an upstream end of the central structure and therewith forms a fixed structure of the nacelle. Guide means are entirely attached to the central structure for guiding the outer panel or panels and allowing substantially rectilinear movement of the outer panel towards the upstream end of the nacelle so that the air intake structure can be opened.

Abstract: An aircraft includes at least three drive units, each of which has a first rotor and a first, rotary speed-controlled electrical motor, suitable for driving the first rotor during operation of the aircraft. Each of the drive units has at least a second rotor and at least one second, rotary speed-controlled electrical motor, suitable for driving the second rotor during operation of the aircraft in a rotational direction that is opposite to the rotational direction of the first rotor of each drive unit. Autonomous means for controlling the location and position of the aircraft are also provided.

Abstract: A multi-stage fin deployment assembly includes a rotary actuator configured to release a first spring-loaded stage that, when deployed, releases a second spring-loaded stage to deploy a set of deployable member or fins. By chaining these spring-loaded stages together, a relatively small input force, as provided by the rotary actuator, causes the second spring-loaded stage to generate a relatively large output force on the fins. This multistage force magnification makes it possible for the deployment assembly to utilize smaller actuators that require less power and take up less space, compared to conventional locking mechanisms.

Abstract: A storage unit for aircraft trolleys includes a housing accommodating at least one aircraft trolley and including a horizontal tray arranged on top of the housing. The storage unit includes a movable partition extending in a plane perpendicular to the tray and above the tray so that at least a part of the movable partition extends up to a ceiling of an aircraft. The partition is movable in translation from one edge of the tray to an opposite edge.

Abstract: An aircraft control surface mounting structure including a cantilever rib mounted to a spar, the rib includes a first arm and a second arm both orientated to be substantially parallel to the line of flight of the aircraft.

Abstract: An aircraft fuselage produced by assembling, at a circumferential joint, at least two sections, each section including a coating and at least one element of at least one stiffener, the aforementioned two elements having a closed cross section and being assembled by a splicing piece. The elements of the stiffener and the splicing piece are made of composite. The aforementioned splicing piece, which has two flanges, is fixed to the coatings and to the stiffener elements by working fastenings positioned only on the flanges of the aforementioned splicing piece.

Abstract: Disclosed are a wing deployment apparatus and an apparatus for launching a flying object having the same, the wing deployment apparatus including wings configured to be in a folded state and a deployed state, a driving unit connected to the wings, and configured to drive the wings to be switched from the folded state to the deployed state or vice versa, and a damper cooperative with the operation of the driving unit, and configured to damp a driving force of the driving unit from the start of the wings being moved to the completion of the movement of the wings.

Abstract: A rotary wing aircraft apparatus includes a body and a rotor pair connected to the body by an arm. The rotor pair has an upper rotor driven by an upper motor and rotating about an upper rotor axis and a lower rotor driven by a lower motor and rotating about a lower rotor axis. The upper and lower rotor axes are tilted with respect to each other. Tilting the axes away from the arm increases the distance from the rotor blades to the arm, and decreases the risk of the blades of the rotor contacting the arm. In an aircraft with a plurality of arms extending from the body, and a rotor assembly connected to each arm, the arms can be pivoted from a flying position, where the arms extend laterally outward to a folded position where the arms are positioned substantially parallel and adjacent to each other.

Abstract: Some embodiments pertain to a projectile that includes a casing and a plurality of fins which are secured to the casing. Each of the fins is movable between a stowed position and a deployed position. The fins are typically in the stowed position during storage and launch, and move to the deployed position as soon as possible after launch. Each fin includes a first foil that has a first set of openings and a second foil that includes a second set of openings. The first sets of openings in the first foils are aligned with the second sets of openings in the second foils when each of the fins is in the stowed position. The first sets of openings in the first foils are not aligned with the second sets of openings in the second foils when each of the fins is in the deployed position.

Abstract: A fastening device of a floor module in an aircraft hull is provided. The fastening device comprises an intermediate element that on one hand can be fastened to the aircraft hull using a joining device and on the other comprises a receiving device for a holding portion of the floor module. In this case the fastening device is designed in such a way that mobility of the holding portion relative to the aircraft is guaranteed in the aircraft's longitudinal direction by means of which it is possible to guarantee stress-free installation inside the aircraft hull.

Abstract: An actuator device for varying the attitude of a spacecraft includes a reversible conversion chain of electrical energy to mechanical rotation energy of a flywheel. The electrical energy is stored in a capacitive element that may be a supercapacitor. The actuator device also includes an electrical power converter, connected, on one hand, to the capacitive element and intended to be connected, on the other hand, to the spacecraft power bus. The converter makes it possible to compensate for losses to keep a total energy of the actuator device constant.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a mechanical device (1) suitable for combining first and second pitch control orders for controlling the blade pitch of at least one rotary assembly, the device comprising a carrier structure (10) suitable for being fastened to a support (5) by at least one main fastener pin (13) about which said carrier structure (10) is capable of performing a pivoting movement. In addition, the device includes at least one connection lever (20, 30) per rotary assembly, and at least one secondary fastener pin (25, 35) per connection lever (20, 30), said secondary fastener pin (25, 35) being secured firstly to said carrier structure (10) and being fastened secondly by rotary means (26, 36) to the connection lever (20, 30).

Abstract: A rear landing gear for an aircraft includes a strut configured to have a variable height at a lowered position. The strut is variable between a maximum height at which the aircraft has a substantially horizontal trim and a minimum height at which the aircraft has a nose-up trim, and includes a barrel and a shock absorber. The shock absorber bears a set of wheels and is slidably mounted in a passage of the barrel, the passage defining a variable-volume internal fluidic chamber. A source of fluidic power connects to the variable-volume internal chamber via a controllable shut-off member and is configured to fill or empty the variable-volume internal chamber with fluid, varying the height of the strut between the maximum height and the minimum height.

Abstract: A method/system for controlling helicopter vibrations is provided that includes a vibration canceling force generator for actively generating a vibration canceling force. The system includes a resonant actuator having a natural resonant frequency and a resonant actuator electronic control system. The resonant actuator electronic control system provides an electrical drive current to the resonant actuator to drive the resonant actuator about the resonant frequency when commanded by a received command signal. The resonant actuator has a feedback output with the feedback output fed back into the resonant actuator electronic control system wherein the resonant actuator electronic control system adjusts the electrical drive current based on the resonant actuator feedback output to generate the vibration canceling force.